If the car in front of you applies the brake and you then have to apply your brakes straight away, then you’re a “Tail-Gater” There will be no more denial. 95% of people who tail-gate don't think they are.

Tail-Gaters actually cause more road congestion than slow drivers. A person driving 95 (or even 80) in a 100K zone will only slow the rest of the traffic to 95 (or 80).

But when drivers are tail gating, the application of the brakes by one driver in a lane creates a ripple effect that can go back 100’s of cars behind them. But what starts out with someone applying their brakes to reduce the speed of their vehicle by a couple of klms, can result in a vehicle about 50 back coming to a dead stop as each driver behind the first car applies their breaks just a fraction harder due the fact they do not know how much the driver in front is going to slow down.

The only thing that can stop this ripple effect is when a driver has allowed enough space, between them and the car in front, to coast (and slow down) for a bit when they see the person in front is applying the brakes. But if the road is full of tailgaters, then there is no saving the situation.

Yes, there will be times when non-tailgaters need to apply the brakes, but it will be a genuine reason and not because they are checking the haemorrhoids of the driver in front who has just touched the brakes.

Have you ever been in slow moving traffic and thought there must be an accident or road works up ahead only to have the traffic speed up again and you are then at a loss as to why they were going slow??? Then the process starts again and everyone grinds to a halt. Now you know what's happening.

Are you part of the problem or in denial??

A video replaces a thousand words

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Crusoe said..
If the car in front of you applies the brake and you then have to apply your brakes straight away, then you’re a “Tail-Gater” There will be no more denial. 95% of people who tail-gate don't think they are.

Tail-Gaters actually cause more road congestion than slow drivers. A person driving 95 (or even 80) in a 100K zone will only slow the rest of the traffic to 95 (or 80).

But when drivers are tail gating, the application of the brakes by one driver in a lane creates a ripple effect that can go back 100’s of cars behind them. But what starts out with someone applying their brakes to reduce the speed of their vehicle by a couple of klms, can result in a vehicle about 50 back coming to a dead stop as each driver behind the first car applies their breaks just a fraction harder due the fact they do not know how much the driver in front is going to slow down.

The only thing that can stop this ripple effect is when a driver has allowed enough space, between them and the car in front, to coast (and slow down) for a bit when they see the person in front is applying the brakes. But if the road is full of tailgaters, then there is no saving the situation.

Yes, there will be times when non-tailgaters need to apply the brakes, but it will be a genuine reason and not because they are checking the haemorrhoids of the driver in front who has just touched the brakes.

Have you ever been in slow moving traffic and thought there must be an accident or road works up ahead only to have the traffic speed up again and you are then at a loss as to why they were going slow??? Then the process starts again and everyone grinds to a halt. Now you know what's happening.

Are you part of the problem or in denial??

Must've been nice living on that island with friday
No one doing 80 in the 100 zone there i'll bet

KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING

Im going to really enjoy this convo get.super heated...
Just getting some popcorn..

Agreed Crusoe

But what is more of a problem is the people who cut in, forcing braking but those behind, and that ripples back a long way too
Look at peak hour - lack of merging skills and cutting into the lane that appears to be moving faster (for the moment) and that is probably a big cause.

And those who do 90 - 95 - 102 - 97 - 94 - 97 - 100 - 90 ............. arrgghhhh

This used to drive me nuts before I came to terms with the fact that you have to look at traffic the same way as you see people in the shopping mall, all sorts and kinds, varieties, different ages, idiots, large smattering of unconscious individuals, because that is what there is on the road controlling the cars on it.

Successfully or unsuccessfully, efficiently or not. The problem is is that it looks like a car. If it resembled the moron controlling it you could probably get your head around the fact that the individual causing you the heart ache is basically incompetent and should not be in charge of a shopping trolley never mind two tonnes of technology capable of 180ks per hour.

On too many occasions to remember I've had the misery of driving up and down the Princes Highway at Xmas time and easter. At first I was nonplussed as to what was causing the phenomenal traffic jams. An accident surely? What else could hold things up so long.

What it is, and it happens with precise regularity, is people merging from two lanes into one. Two lanes come up, the inpatient nongs floor it and a big slug of cars gets through to the merging zone where everyone has to slow right down and Bob's you ****ing uncle, if there is a lot of traffic on the road it eventually comes to a halt.

Like a herd of lobotomised merinos.

The only way you will ever improve drivers ability (and even this is not guaranteed), is to introduce a national simulator program and to force everyone to participate. Take driver training out of the hands of individuals and hand it over to a machine which tests peoples ability UNIFORMLY. If they take their eyes off the road, fail them. If they get too close to the car in front fail them. If they show a slight misunderstanding as to the meaning of KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING fail them.

If they continue to persist introduce a rule, three attempts and then a bullet to the head.

When I'm being tailgated I slow down a little to allow them to get very close to me, then I turn on my lights, they think I'm hitting the breaks, so they hit theirs.
I love that, it freaks them out, and they deserve it!
It only works in the daytime though.

The worst I've ever driven regularly was the Gateway in QLD. Full of tradies and blue collar workers from 5am till 7pm. You learn very quickly to maintain the same gap as everyone else, if you leave 2-3 car lengths instead of 1-2 then everyone pulls in front of you over and over and over and you're braking the whole way trying to maintain your gap while everyone else takes advantage. Everyone starts out doing this and it lasts about 2 days then they learn to close the door like everyone else.

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Chris6791 said..
A video replaces a thousand words

That's exactly it. Perfect visual evidence of what tail gating does. Unfortunately this thread and the video proof will make absoulutly no difference as most of the tail gathers are in denial.

Maybe they need to start AA for tailgaters.

Or maybe install a device in tailgaters car that verbally alerts them that they are too close to the car in front for the speed they are travelling, because they are too stupid to work it out themselves. Bit like those breathaliser car start locks.

this is the exact reason why sydeny toll roads fail as the incline is to steep for the trucks in tunnels & this effect is what causes the roads to grind to a stand still .
Ive mentioned this before .The saddest part is they know about this when they designed the road its not a new phenomena

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Mastbender said..
When I'm being tailgated I slow down a little to allow them to get very close to me, then I turn on my lights, they think I'm hitting the breaks, so they hit theirs.
I love that, it freaks them out, and they deserve it!
It only works in the daytime though.

I do the same but use the windscreen washer & give the tailgater a good soaking - works every time.

Then there is the bumper sticker, "If you can read this, you're following too fu(king close!!!"

WA freeways are plagued with fkucking idiot suffering the gape filling urge syndrome.

In my recent experience tailgaters are almost invariably driving a late model dual cab 4 wd utes. These are the latest phallic extension.

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Crusoe said..

Chris6791 said..
A video replaces a thousand words

That's exactly it. Perfect visual evidence of what tail gating does. Unfortunately this thread and the video proof will make absoulutly no difference as most of the tail gathers are in denial.

Maybe they need to start AA for tailgaters.

Or maybe install a device in tailgaters car that verbally alerts them that they are too close to the car in front for the speed they are travelling, because they are too stupid to work it out themselves. Bit like those breathaliser car start locks.

Sure you can see the dynamic effect of tailgating on the flow of traffic...but...it assumes a constant amount of traffic.

How much effect does merging traffic also cause this tail gate induced congestion you talk about...

but yes driverless cars are the only solution. Take human's out of it. Just get them safely from A to B. That's what cars are meant to really be for.

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toppleover said..

Mastbender said..
When I'm being tailgated I slow down a little to allow them to get very close to me, then I turn on my lights, they think I'm hitting the breaks, so they hit theirs.
I love that, it freaks them out, and they deserve it!
It only works in the daytime though.

I do the same but use the windscreen washer & give the tailgater a good soaking - works every time.

Driving to Albany, hardly any traffic, clear in front of me for miles. Car comes up fairly fast behind me, but instead of passing sits on my bumper. Not so bad if there's no passing opportunity, but it's clear for miles!
I take advantage of the gravel shoulder, and put 2 wheels onto it. A spray of gravel is much more effective than a few drops of water! Certainly woke her up to the dangers of being much too close to the person in front.

The short stretch from Busselton to Capel after a long weekend is a classic:

Traffic moves along in a single lane slowly but surely 70 to 100kph but when you enter the overtaking lanes, hoards of morons stream out into the overtaking lanes( some towing caravans and boats etc),race ahead only to have to merge and bring the traffic to a stand still. The traffic then just about gets sorted out and moving, just in time for it to happen again in the next overtaking lane.
Main roads should close those lanes on a long weekend.

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decrepit said..

toppleover said..

Mastbender said..
When I'm being tailgated I slow down a little to allow them to get very close to me, then I turn on my lights, they think I'm hitting the breaks, so they hit theirs.
I love that, it freaks them out, and they deserve it!
It only works in the daytime though.

I do the same but use the windscreen washer & give the tailgater a good soaking - works every time.

Driving to Albany, hardly any traffic, clear in front of me for miles. Car comes up fairly fast behind me, but instead of passing sits on my bumper. Not so bad if there's no passing opportunity, but it's clear for miles!
I take advantage of the gravel shoulder, and put 2 wheels onto it. A spray of gravel is much more effective than a few drops of water! Certainly woke her up to the dangers of being much too close to the person in front.

Yep and then they overtake you in a passing lane, race ahead only to catch up to the next slower vehicle and then sit behind it with miles of clear road in front because they're too scared to go past without an overtaking lane. That's when I overtake them and the vehicle in front too

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cisco said..

In my recent experience tailgaters are almost invariably driving a late model dual cab 4 wd utes. These are the latest phallic extension.

well said volvo driver

i was speaking to a south african bloke the other day about this issue and people driving 90 in a 100 zone only to speed up to 110 when being overtaken.

He states SA's are bad for speeding and have a hi death toll from this practice, but try to avoid an aggressive situation on the road . he believes australians are very aggressive drivers.

i think he nailed it.

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decrepit said..

toppleover said..

Mastbender said..
When I'm being tailgated I slow down a little to allow them to get very close to me, then I turn on my lights, they think I'm hitting the breaks, so they hit theirs.
I love that, it freaks them out, and they deserve it!
It only works in the daytime though.

I do the same but use the windscreen washer & give the tailgater a good soaking - works every time.

Driving to Albany, hardly any traffic, clear in front of me for miles. Car comes up fairly fast behind me, but instead of passing sits on my bumper. Not so bad if there's no passing opportunity, but it's clear for miles!
I take advantage of the gravel shoulder, and put 2 wheels onto it. A spray of gravel is much more effective than a few drops of water! Certainly woke her up to the dangers of being much too close to the person in front.

Select to expand quote

eppo said..

Crusoe said..

Chris6791 said..
A video replaces a thousand words

That's exactly it. Perfect visual evidence of what tail gating does. Unfortunately this thread and the video proof will make absoulutly no difference as most of the tail gathers are in denial.

Maybe they need to start AA for tailgaters.

Or maybe install a device in tailgaters car that verbally alerts them that they are too close to the car in front for the speed they are travelling, because they are too stupid to work it out themselves. Bit like those breathaliser car start locks.

Sure you can see the dynamic effect of tailgating on the flow of traffic...but...it assumes a constant amount of traffic.

How much effect does merging traffic also cause this tail gate induced congestion you talk about...

but yes driverless cars are the only solution. Take human's out of it. Just get them safely from A to B. That's what cars are meant to really be for.

Driving back to Brisbane from the Sunnie Coast on a Sunday afternoon, south of the Caloundra turn off its 110 kph zone with 2 lanes.
After about 5 to 10 kms all the traffic comes to a sudden crawl for a couple of kms then we all speed up again.
There are no on or off ramps just tail gathers.
What really gives me the ****s are people in the middle lane doing 5kph below the speed limit because they can't be bothered to change lanes

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Jolene said..
The short stretch from Busselton to Capel after a long weekend is a classic:

........

that has to be the highest per capita useless idiotic driver location in the world.

I have nearly come to grief many times in that section with people trying to overtake into oncoming traffic.
The traffic speed ranges from -50km/hr to + 50km/hr from the speed limit. tailgating, the whole spectrum of stupidity.

Yes agreed. Tailgating is a problem.

A bigger problem is people who merge into freeways or roadways at a much slower speed than the traffic flow, pushing into the traffic rather than merging correctly.

This causes a far worse ripple effect that can go back kilometres, because frustrated drivers in the inside lane suddenly merge into the outside lane to avoid the incompetent, timid merging driver thus causing the more serious congestion.

That's why we need traffic control at some slip roads, because there are so many timid drivers who don't know how to use merging lanes. Sure, sometimes there are so many drivers merging that control is required, but most of the time - it's timid incompetent driving.

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Cobra said..

cisco said..

In my recent experience tailgaters are almost invariably driving a late model dual cab 4 wd utes. These are the latest phallic extension.

well said volvo driver

Volvo!!! No chance. Fairmonts and Corollas only and I pass more than pass me and never tailgate. On the highway I am looking a kilometre ahead and hang well back (5-6 car lengths) until I know there is an overtaking opportunity coming up.

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GWatto said..


Driving back to Brisbane from the Sunnie Coast on a Sunday afternoon,

.............is a time and place I avoid like the plague. I have been heading north there so many times and seen the weekend commuters crawling south that I would never put myself there unless absolutely necessary.

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decrepit said..

Driving to Albany, hardly any traffic, clear in front of me for miles. Car comes up fairly fast behind me, but instead of passing sits on my bumper. Not so bad if there's no passing opportunity, but it's clear for miles!
I take advantage of the gravel shoulder, and put 2 wheels onto it. A spray of gravel is much more effective than a few drops of water! Certainly woke her up to the dangers of being much too close to the person in front.

Had the same situation recently, quiet country road, young bloke about 12 years old driving (20 tops) sitting so close behind me I couldn't see his rego plate. Had three easy pass opportunities and took none of them. I pulled over eventually, can't handle sharing the road with idiots like that, stupid little oxygen thief.

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decrepit said..

toppleover said..

Mastbender said..
When I'm being tailgated I slow down a little to allow them to get very close to me, then I turn on my lights, they think I'm hitting the breaks, so they hit theirs.
I love that, it freaks them out, and they deserve it!
It only works in the daytime though.

I do the same but use the windscreen washer & give the tailgater a good soaking - works every time.

Driving to Albany, hardly any traffic, clear in front of me for miles. Car comes up fairly fast behind me, but instead of passing sits on my bumper. Not so bad if there's no passing opportunity, but it's clear for miles!
I take advantage of the gravel shoulder, and put 2 wheels onto it. A spray of gravel is much more effective than a few drops of water! Certainly woke her up to the dangers of being much too close to the person in front.

I always wonder about the mind set of those people, you see them approach fast from miles away, only to sit on your tail indefinitely.

Or pass you then sit on 105km in front.

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Adriano said..
Yes agreed. Tailgating is a problem.

A bigger problem is people who merge into freeways or roadways at a much slower speed than the traffic flow, pushing into the traffic rather than merging correctly.

This causes a far worse ripple effect that can go back kilometres, because frustrated drivers in the inside lane suddenly merge into the outside lane to avoid the incompetent, timid merging driver thus causing the more serious congestion.

That's why we need traffic control at some slip roads, because there are so many timid drivers who don't know how to use merging lanes. Sure, sometimes there are so many drivers merging that control is required, but most of the time - it's timid incompetent driving.

You live in Victoria right...oh boy come to WA and drive and see the merging madness (or lack of!!).

Actually I really enjoy my driving time around sydney for that reason, more assertive drivers, merging, working...getting on with it. Going the damn speed limit.

It seems people who drive below the speed limit are given the badge of honour (through all the add campaigns).

From what I see, is they cause far more danger than those going at the speed limit and even those who a driving slightly above but going with the flow of the traffic.

Just silly crunts sitting there popping away at 80-85 on a 100km/hr on a freeway..oblivious to the carnage in traffic flow around them.

I say being 10 km under the speed limit should be fined as much as 10km over.

Go the speed limit or get off the fckn road. I reckon the slow down campaign does more harm than good. If pricks are gonna go fast they will no matter what bull**** you put on TV.

Add campaigns should be on driver flow...including not tailgating...leaving space to merge, being courteous and sensible.

drive under the speed limit, your as obnoxious and dangerous as a prick speeding. You may be right son, but the 30 cars having to weave around you are creating a far greater probability of an incident.

I have way too much common sense to tailgate.

Have always used my observation and senses to determine what is real - and I see and feel real danger in tailgating.

I conclude that Aus1111,myusernam,Ian K,Elmo,pweedas and Rupert are habitual tailgaters Mark not far behind them.

Adriano is a mild abuser,only Cisco,the doctor and Japie have the sense not to tailgate.

You can tell a lot about how a person drives by the way they think.

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Adriano said..
Yes agreed. Tailgating is a problem.

A bigger problem is people who merge into freeways or roadways at a much slower speed than the traffic flow, pushing into the traffic rather than merging correctly.

This causes a far worse ripple effect that can go back kilometres, because frustrated drivers in the inside lane suddenly merge into the outside lane to avoid the incompetent, timid merging driver thus causing the more serious congestion.

That's why we need traffic control at some slip roads, because there are so many timid drivers who don't know how to use merging lanes. Sure, sometimes there are so many drivers merging that control is required, but most of the time - it's timid incompetent driving.

Part of this is the posted speed limit on the on ramp, a lot of ours only get to freeway speed a few meters from the merge point. To get to freeway speed at the merge point you have to break the on ramp speed limit.

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ThinkaBowtit said..

decrepit said..

Driving to Albany, hardly any traffic, clear in front of me for miles. Car comes up fairly fast behind me, but instead of passing sits on my bumper. Not so bad if there's no passing opportunity, but it's clear for miles!
I take advantage of the gravel shoulder, and put 2 wheels onto it. A spray of gravel is much more effective than a few drops of water! Certainly woke her up to the dangers of being much too close to the person in front.

Had the same situation recently, quiet country road, young bloke about 12 years old driving (20 tops) sitting so close behind me I couldn't see his rego plate. Had three easy pass opportunities and took none of them. I pulled over eventually, can't handle sharing the road with idiots like that, stupid little oxygen thief.

I've also just eased off slowly, when it's safe for them to pass. It's interesting to see just how slow you have to go, before they start driving for themselves, instead of just following your number plate.